Friday, October 31, 2014

Mexican Delight at Swissotel Kolkata

I think I did not share with you all that I was on a self imposed exile from food in my quest for a fitter (read thinner) physique! Well that was sometime ago. Throughout Durga puja I kind of stayed away from my favourite foods and resorted to muesli and such funny stuffs. But then it was getting a little too much and the invite from Swissotel to sample their Mexican festival fare specially curated by Chef Lilia Castro from Mexico came just at the right time. I was raring to go and enjoy the spread and give myself the much desired break. Thus on a sunny sunday afternoon along with co blogger Pritha who blogs at Guilt Free I hogged away on a huge Mexican spread. There was everything from Quesadillas to chili con carne to churros!

I started with sampling the salad section and the variety was delightful.I swayed a bit more towards the vegetarian varieties and I wasn't disappointed. I particularly found this phyllo pastry stuffed with mushroom and cheese very interesting. Also the Cauliflower Mousse with Asparagus was unique - creamy mushy delight!

As we know Mexican cuisine is influenced by a variety of cultures so it uses an exciting and varied range of ingredients. The use of fiery peppers, cilantro, avocados being very predominant.When I told Chef Lilia that the spread was expansive she smiled and said that there could have been many more dishes! I wandered into the main course section and to be honest was a bit lost as to what all to try. I loaded my plate with the goodies and ate away to glory. Special mention of Tamale - a typical Mexican dish of cheese wrapped in corn peels and grilled. I will leave you with lots of pictures from the amazing spread.

arz ala mexicana

bread

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calabicatas Mexicana - zucchini and squash with cottage cheese

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carnitas -deep fried pork

chicken in tangy tomato sauce

beef chilli con carne

papas al cilantro - baby potatoes with cilantro

pescado alo veracudano - fish cooked in a light broth with peppers

prawns in tamarind sauce

tamale - cheese wrapped in corn peels and grilled

Guacamole

Hot salsas

I was stuffed and so happy to have gorged after ages. But the dessert section was on my mind and I could not miss that. There were Churros and how can I not eat Churros while on a Mexican gastro trip. There were a whole lot of my favourite dessert items and I tasted each one of it.

churros

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Kahlua chocolate mousse

crocoumbouche

caramel pudding

cheese cake

This delectable fare was available only for a day on 19th October at Café Swiss but some of the items are a part of their South American dinners on Fridays from 7 -11 pm at Café Swiss priced at 1600 ++The highlight of the afternoon was the annual cake mixing ceremony of Swissotel and I was thrilled to be a part of it. Cmon my first ever cake mixing how could I not be elated. I even instructed Pritha to click pictures while I was mixing and she very sweetly obliged. Just looking at that tray I was salivating and eagerly waiting for Christmas when I get to sample the yummy cakes.